Sickness From Their Shores
by Dark Ethereal Shadow
Summary: Thirty years since we had arrived in this galaxy from our own. Thirty years we have watched and waited, observing everyone and everything from the shadows. The balance of peace here has slipped from its perch and it is our proud duty to restore it. The clone wars may have started but our battle in it has only just begun. AU (Alternate Universe)
1. Wanted Done the Hard Way

**SICKNESS FROM THEIR SHORES**

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**Disclaimer: I do not own anything and I respect the companies that do but all original content is mine. **

**Authors note: I don't know how this story is going to end up these treacherous waters. It either sinks straight away to the sticky bottom on the first chapter and tries to rise again from the muck or submerges briefly before it acquires its water wings and drifts towards a derelict and rusting barge as fast as a tree grows. **

**\- That's a taste of my **_**dead**_**pan humour for you. The pun is intended. - **

**(AU - Alternate Universe)  
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**Chapter 1: Wanted Done the Hard Way**

**Unknown Regions**

**Location: Un-named binary star system.**

**Missive: [Classified]**

In a dimly lit cavernous room sat several shadowed figures, all of them arranged and sitting motionless in a curved semicircle. Each of the seven-seated beings represented each arm of the combined political and armed forces of a combined species coalition that all lived and worked together under one flag in tranquilly.

The Alliance of Combined Species, the birth child of the UNSC, UEG and Swords of Sanghelios with the multitude of the other species belonging to the milky way galaxy.

"So, this is how they intend to take control," the centre grey haired figure spoke up to the assembled group as a whole, all the while running his fingers along the side of a dim holographic pad before him. "By using… this."

"From our extensive spy network, and to those who acquired this through other means, assure my handlers that this information is one hundred precent accurate." a shadowed figure on the farthest right hand end clarified with the centred speaker.

A low murmur of the several different voices both high and low flowed across and throughout the room as each figure glanced at their own holographic pads of the relevant data present on them.

"We have waited and watched from the shadows long enough," a deep growl emanated from one of the shadowed figures to the left of the speaker as he finished reading the Intel. "Another opportunity such as this won't present itself again, and if there was to be another down the path…" the deep growling individual let his words trail off, the conclusion to his judgment already implied.

The room became deathly silent before the shadowy figure on the far right end stood up straight revealing her slim figure and spoke, her gaze meeting each other high-ranking and leaders gazes. "Then it is agreed? Our intervention is now a must?"

"It is." another low growl, feminine this time, came from the right of the centre figure replied, as did the hushed grumbling murmurs of '_Aye'_ and undeniable agreeing nodding from the others.

"Then we all know what must be done, but first we need to acquire this justification, in order to begin on a level footing." the centre figure spoke to all before pressing a symbol on his holopad. "Hera. You may now show him in."

The doors at the other end chimed and slid upwards and to the side as a man of Asian decent in his late twenties with a clean shaved face and a cut to grooming standards brown hair entered the room. His grey captain's uniform neatly pressed with no sign of an uneven wrinkle in it. He crispy walked into the centre of the room, his black shoes shined to a mirror finish as they clicked against the rooms decking and stopped, he saluted the seven-seated shadowy figures before him.

The centre speaker acknowledged the saluting captain before them, "Captain Nicholas Nagata. At ease."

Captain Nagata didn't hesitate to the words and relaxed his stance clasping his hands neatly behind his back.

"Captain, you have been chosen for a task, a mission that has been in planning for six years."

The Captain shifted his stance slightly with the barest hint of unease. The barely unrecognisable motion was not lost on the center speaker, "You know of what this means do you not." he said tersely.

"I do."

"Good, good..." there was a small clatter as the speaker placed his holopad down, "Then you know of what is to be expected of you,"

Nagata acceptably bowed in response. He didn't want to displease any of the shadowed individuals in the room as each one could bust him down from Captain before he could even think as to why.

"Yes Fleet Admiral, what are your orders?"

"You are to take your ship and jump to the outer edge of the system of Kamino, to which you will then head to the dark side of the planet of Yuka. At that point, there is where you will link up with two strident frigates holding just outside of the Republic's sensor range. You will receive further orders from a Prowler currently stationed somewhere in the system."

"What of the significant republic blockade and patrols around the planet? Surly they will detect my ship and the frigates once we enter range and send someone to investigate."

"We are counting on the blockade to do just that." the figure on the left of the speaker stood revealing an impressive daunting eight-foot tall sangheili, his silver armour adorned with traditional golden forerunner glyphs.

It was the highest title a sangheili could attain in military rank. The ACS council as a whole came to an agreement long ago that the titles used during the Human-Covenant war on both sides would be once again put back into play.

"Our opening piece hinges on that very action."

Captain Nagata felt the Imperial Admiral's slit green eyes lock directly with his, even though the sangheili was covered entirely in shadow. "It is time that we make our presence in this galaxy more apparent and to show the Republic and Separatists that we are here to stay. Permanently."

Nagata visibly straightened further and he felt a single bead of sweat form and trickle down the back of his neck, "I understand. It will be done."

The centre speaker, the Fleet Admiral and organiser of the meeting spoke again, the form of finalisation in his tone. "You are to depart in three hours. It's not much. So I'd get moving if I was you, and have any business you or your crew to be squared away. Dismissed."

Captain Nagata saluted and professionally turned heel, walking calmly back out through the set of doors he had entered through. The several powerful figures in the room gazes locked onto his back as they watched him leave through the doors.

* * *

Nagata put a finger into the front of his uniform's neck collar and adjusted the tightness slightly. He could still sense their unwavering steel stares on him even through the now sealed conference doors. It was one thing to hear what they did in there from a fellow officer or friend but it was entirely something else when yourself was chosen to be called under their magnifying glass with them being the sun and you, the condemned one, the ant.

Nagata mentally shock himself to clear the Security Council's cold and hard prying eyes from his mind. The vision of their piercing glares washed away but the numb cold still remained. He shivered in response.

Three hours wasn't much and he quickly turned left, heading down one of the many hallways and areas that eventually led towards the immense hanger bay of the ACS CSO-class supercarrier _**N****ight of Serenity**_, flagship of the fleet of Righteous Intent.

The supercarrier he was walking within wasn't the only one of its kind the ACS had present in this galaxy.

The twenty-six kilometre long warship was not alone in the completely barren and unoccupied system it cruised through. Accompanying close around it was an immense fleet, a total of over a hundred or more warships, a fleet combined of six carriers. Of half, three CAS assault carriers while the other three were Epoch-class carriers. Spread out a little a-ways but moving in a furball formation with the carriers, were at least an even mix of three-dozen CCS-class II battlecruisers, Autumn-class heavy cruisers and RCS-class cruisers.

Scattered out further and patrolling their assigned sectors in small groups of varying sizes of ships, were a number of support vesseles. Corvettes, Frigates, Destroyers, Light Cruisers. Not to mention the small glints of star fighter squadrons that dipped, weaved and rolled in between and around them in an almost playful, yet otherwise deadly manner.

One of those destroyers, the ACS _**Ikazuchi**_, its name literally meaning thunder in the old Japanese culture, was currently docked alongside another destroyer whist inside the supercarrier, replenishing spent fuel, supplies and overhauling two pelicans with defective tracking sensors for the nose guns.

The warship's roster of combatants was rotating out the combatant crew of a squad consisted of Spartans with a platoon mix of human ODSTs and sangheili SpecOps.

Nagata could still recall what the squad leader of the Spartans said to him on the bridge, after they completed their docking sequence

'_The brass must be_ crazy,' she had said, '_And I must admit, it's good crazy._'

The supercarrier had a rapid transit system due to its size, but Nagata was still a fit and young man and there was no need to rush. It wasn't that far of a walk to where he parked his ship in the massive hangar bay.

The ship he commanded was the ACS _**Ikazuchi**_, a retrofitted Halberd-class destroyer, and he couldn't be more proud to captain such a finer vessel. Measuring at a additional length of five hundred and eighty two metres. it was just short of a hundred metres longer than the standard class and basically the same design it was but seven meters longer than the strident-class heavy frigate, two of which were going to accompany him when he reached the outer edge of the heavily defended system of Kamino.

After an hour of walking the lengthy corridors while greeting with a friendly smile as he passed by many fellow officers, some of which he personally knew and served with, whether that be human, sangheili or even Kig-Yar. He eventually reached a main set of airlock doors where his ship was docked with.

"Marius, I'm back." he announced gladly and looked over at an unoccupied holopedestal by the airlock doors. "How are things been since I was gone?"

The pedestal warmed to a light green glow and a little moment longer a fit and strong male human appeared, clad in full Roman legionary garb. He was leaning on his rectangular squared shield towards the captain whilst his Pilum, otherwise known as a javelin, was speared down in the ground next to him.

"It's been from 'nothing much' to boring," the smart AI said to Nagata, using double air quotes to his _nothing much_ before returning to leaning on his shield. "How did the meeting with the top brass go?"

"You weren't able to eavesdrop this time?" Nagata asked the AI as he inputted the door code.

"Hera stopped me after I turtled my way past the fifth wall of defence. She's getting sloppy."

"Ah, you do realise she was toying with you." he humorously laughed at the AI but retained his stiff composure as a hand scanner, hypodermic syringe, and retina scanner folded out of the wall near him.

"I knew that." Marius retorted dismissively, gripping onto his javelin and yanking it out of the invisible ground.

"Well what have we got on-board?" Nagata asked him as the biometric scan began for his identification. "Don't bore me with the long winded details," he didn't wince as the needle took a sample of his blood. "I already know most because of my neural link but I'd rather hear it from you a second time than have it already transferred directly into my brain."

"Sure thing. Welcome back to the glorious _**Ikazuchi**_, Captain Nagata." the AI said in chipper mood from before. He disappeared from the pedestal as the biometrics scan was completed, correctly identifying the person that had been scanned and pricked was indeed Captain Nicholas Nagata.

The heavy airlock doors slid smoothly apart, accompanied with warning chimes as it opened, leading directly into one of the side hangars of the destroyer where he could see members of his crew still stowing and securing the supplies and equipment ready for when they depart. He had no idea how long they were to be in the Kamino system when they linked up with the frigates and got into contact with the prowler stationed there, so it was always best to prepare for a long stay than what was needed.

As he walked into the hangar while Marius talked in his mind, some of the crew gave brief acknowledgeable salutes and welcomed him back, while the others continued on with their work, giving only a simple wave or nod to their Captain. Nagata long accepted that, he had his orders and so did they. Some commanders who that had served with him, would say Nagata had his own set of rules on what is important to stop work to greet a superior.

Some hated him for it, others not so much, but one thing was for certain that they all have respect for; they got the job done without a fuss even if the he had ordered them for something that boarded along the realm of impossible.

Which was probably why he was chosen to go to the system of Kamino, whatever the top brass wanted of him there, it was to be extremely important to have the need of his skills and the skills of this crew.

Nagata reached the centre lift that would bring him to the command deck and finally the bridge, his natural element, his home. It was good to be back.

The bridge doors slid open and he walked inside, there he was immediately greeted by the warm pleasant smiles of the current bridge officers and other crew with a combined chorus of three words.

"Officer on deck!"

"As you were." Nagata quickly said before turning his attention to the small holotable centred in middle of the room, located just behind the commander's chair.

"Marius?" he evenly asked the currently inactive table.

The table lit up displaying him and the entire fleet's ships real time positions with their own location, still located within the bowels of the supercarrier's hangar.

"Are we right to go?"

"Reactor is in final shakedown, diverting necessary power to engines." the ship gave a reverberating shudder in response as the engines came online.

"All hands are aboard and accounted for. All equipment is stowed and secured, and Lieutenant Reilly has already put in the request for departure to command and control as soon as you stepped on the elevator." Marius replied curtly while standing at attention, javelin in hand, shield held strongly beside him.

"Nav?" Nagata questioned, turning to face Lieutenant Reilly at his station.

"All clear sir. The request for departure from C&amp;C has been approved."

"Then our pleasant stay here at camp bravo has ended. Lets get to work."

"Aye sir."

The rhythmic sounds of docking clamps and the umbilicals disconnecting from the hardpoints, echoed with muffled dings and clangs throughout the ship.

A shrill of pings came from Reilly's station as the holographic outline of the destroyer displayed numerous circles of green lights over it at certain points. "Detachment successful, Captain. We're clear. Half reverse thrust, turning us about."

The destroyer eased itself backwards from its parking space before spinning around on the spot to point its nose towards the exit and slowly powered forward. At the point where the ship was about to exit the massive hangar his comm officer suddenly spoke up, urgency in her voice.

"Captain. I've got Imperial Admiral Sesa 'Fulsam on the main channel. He's contacting us directly."

"Patch him through." Nagata said quickly.

"Aye sir."

The imperial admiral appeared on one of the forward view screens rather than by hologram via the holotable. All eye were drawn to his imposing figure and golden marked silver armour. Captain Nagata saluted, as did the rest of the bridge crew and the sangheili gave a small dismissal wave in return.

"Imperial Admiral 'Fulsam. My ship is just about leave your hangar bay. Do you need my ship to turn back?" Nagata asked the sangheili.

"No, not this time my old friend. Your schedule to depart for the system in two hours has been rescinded. You are now to depart for the system of Kamino immediately."

"Yes Admiral." Nagata responded in kind without hesitation and leaned over to Reilly from his chair.

"Coordinates already plotted in. Spinning up FTL drive."

"The best of good luck to you and your men my friend." the sangheili Imperial Admiral placed an arm over his chest and slightly bowed forward. It was the sign of respect and the sangheili's way of salute.

"As to the continuation of the ACS." Nagata responded in kind.

The high-ranking sangheili disappeared and the forward view screen returned to reveal the space outside of the super carrier and the gleaming spots that were the other ships belonging to the fleet.

"Captain, crew is prepped and we're clear for jump departure."

"Do it."

A blue swirling flat portal fringed by turbulent wisps of midnight purple appeared before the _**Ikazuchi**_. The destroyer, without diverting away from the swirling anomaly accelerated straight into its embrace, disappearing into the eleven dimensions that were of the realms of slipspace and on direct course for the system of Kamino.

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**Your criticism is warranted in your review if you have the time and I won't deny that mistakes will be made in the course of this crossover. Don't go overboard and begin nitpicking at every rough corner.**


	2. Dawnbreaker

Disclaimer: I do not own anything and I respect the companies that do but all original content is mine.

(AU - Alternate Universe)

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**Chapter 2: Dawnbreaker**

**Kamino System**

**Location: Planet Yuka**

**Missive: Fourteen hours since leaving the Fleet of Righteous Intent, last reported heading back to Aegle III in 'Unknown Regions', March 6 [CLASSIFIED].**

The space on the dark side of the planet Yuka was torn asunder by a large swirling flat disk of deep blue, boarded by the curtails of purple spiralling from its outer edges. The strange anomaly lasted only for a few seconds before disappearing entirely from existence.

But this irregularity in outer space didn't come without incident. The disk in fact had spat out a dark grey ship close to six hundred metres in length with an angled pointed prow with a boxy squared rear and four large bright cyan blue engine nozzles. Along the port side of the angled prow, a single row of small upward pointed lights illuminated the name of the ACS Halberd-class destroyer.

**_Ikazuchi._**

"Transition successful, captain."

"Lieutenant Reilly, hold course."

"Holding course… aye sir." he replied rather coldly. While some officers would take offence to Reilly's harsh sounding undertone, Nagata knew that it was just his way of settling into his no nonsense attitude when on mission.

The captain didn't need to even ask when the **_Ikazuchi_**'s hull gave a subtle thrum in response as Reilly fired the manoeuvring thrusters to match with the planet's spin and stay within its shadow. Sometimes Nagata always had this strange nagging feeling that his navigation officer was somehow linked with his mind and he knew just where to put his beloved ship during certain situations.

"Marius," the AI materialized before Nagata from the commander's chair armrest and nodded. "Where are the Stridents we are meant to meet?"

"Both Strident-class Heavy Frigates _**Ryuu**_ and _**Glyphis**_ are currently holding in a stationary position near the planets equator, Captain."

"Show me."

The left hand forward view screen switched from the destroyer's stern starboard side camera and revealed two zoomed in oblong grey blocky shapes with their navigation lights glowing. The two Heavy Frigates turned sharply, nose on and steadily burned out of their low orbit towards the ACS **_Ikazuchi_**'s position.

As the Frigates approached the retrofitted Halberd-class Destroyer, their size going from twin pin pricks to the size of sardeen cans, they reduced their speed as they came within two hundred kilometres of the warship.

The right view screen switched from the inky star pricked blackness of space and displayed the ACS emblem.

The Coat Of Arms was the representation of two active energy swords, crossed behind the Forerunner symbol denoting Reclaimer.

The emblem vanished and in its place was an imposing female sangheili, clad in murky white combat harness and was standing next to the small holotable that was in the centre of the frigate's bridge.

"Ship Mistress 'Ehranee," Nagata smirked light-heartedly. "Didn't you once say to me about the odds of us crossing paths again was a billion to one?"

"Nagata," the female sangheili said slyly to him in return, crossing her arms across her chest and somewhat shaking her head in disappointment. "Have you already forgotten? Flattery with me gets you nowhere."

"Oh, how could I forget." he quickly and quietly muttered to himself before speaking up. "By the way, how have you been? The last time we met, you were in command of the ORS-class ACS _**Justification**_."

"Ah well times change, and besides," she shrugged, unashamed and gestured to her five cross-species bridge crew. "Smaller vessels like the Glyphis are more my style anyway."

Nagata chuckled kindly, "Then I can rightly assume then that is what you told them."

He was replied with light humoured laughter.

Outside in the space between the frigate's and the destroyer distorted and flickered for a few seconds. There, slithering into existence from nothing, its active camouflage ebbing from around its black hull was a Prowler. To be specific, a Sahara-class heavy Prowler.

"Captain, the prowler on station in the system has arrived. A brief outgoing transponder flash from the ship identifies it as the ACS _**Isra**_." the communications officer turned around in her chair to face Nagata.

"Centre view screen."

"Aye, sir."

After a moment of silence of observing the stealth ship the captain remarked on the prowlers predatory looks.

"Graceful isn't she?" he asked as he looked over where Marius had projected himself.

"I don't know about that captain, Prowlers always looked ugly in my opinion." Marius mused with a lack of enthusiasm.

Nagata didn't put it past him, sure it was ungainly to look at but he knew perfectly well that simply underestimating just one, by looks alone, was a complete fool's gambit and he knew that very well from the dealings in the annual ship to ship wargame experiences he had the great gratification to take part in.

In those experiences and personal opinion about these types of ships is that Prowlers were always something of a noxious thing to look at, even when viewed from an extreme distance. Nothing but acute angles, completely matte black and appearing more like a carnivorous bird of prey than a ship of war.

Whilst diminished in defensive capabilities, such as its armour and energy shielding not able to withstand a single direct of a frigate weight MAC round so to speak, a prowler much like the _**Isra**_, floating in space between them, still packed numerous types of hells stored within and just under the surface of her sleek but thin titanium A3 nanolaminate interwoven hull.

Of the other numerous ACS Prowlers scattered throughout the inner core and outer rim systems, as well as the unmapped area the vast number of different residents of this galaxy had named as the 'Unknown Regions', every single one of them had been upgraded and equipped with the best surveillance and Intel gathering gear possible, without making them bulkier and difficult to maintain their stealth capabilities in the long run.

With the Sahara-class Prowler, the ship had two forward facing plasma turrets, acting as their primary two hit offensive punch with a electromagnetic pulse cannon mounted spinally. In theory, these types of prowlers could probably face off against a single CRS light cruiser and then make a jump to slipspace to limp back home for repairs whilst leaving behind a moderately damaged cruiser behind in its wake.

Its offensive was compounded even more so when coupled with the uncanny capability to stay cloaked, remain that way for months on end, approach to basically within touching distance of its blissfully unaware enemy while laying a spread of stealthed HORNET or EMP mines or a mixed batch of both throughout the midst of a fleet in the process, was one hell of a bone chilling sensation. It was this very chilling thought that had gone and ran its way down every spine of the _**Ikazuchi**_'s bridge crew including captain Nagata himself when they were reminded of its reasons to exist.

Prowlers have now over time had become, in a sense, more than just wraiths that had the knack of being unseen gremlins creating havoc and gathering critical intelligence, they had now become fully-fledged myths that lurked without remorse throughout the black unforgiving sub-zero confines of hard vacuum and had a sting that would leave any crew of a starship with ongoing nightmares.

This was based if they had even survived an encounter with one, limp back to some kind of home base and live to tell about it somewhere in a bar.

"Sir, the Captain of the Isra wishes permission to come aboard via the re-designed hanger bay."

"Tell her request to dock in the hangar is granted Marius." Nagata said as he got up from his commander's chair and headed for the bridge doors, which parted open even before he got there. "Time we found out what the full reason for us being here in this system is all about."

* * *

The ramp from the nose of the Isra retracted up from the deck and the noise of stealth ship's engines increased in pitch to a dull hum rumble.

As the heavy class prowler reversed out through the main hangar selective shield barrier that separated the destroyer's interior from the cold hard vacuum of space, the stealth ship's matte grey black exterior became distorted by a bluish purple dancing hexagonal texture and then the ship vanished from sight, its active camouflage blending in with the star filled blackness.

Captain Nagata watched it leave before unclasping his hand from behind his back and turned sharply on his heel and walked strongly back over to Lieutenant Rick Peterson and his platoon of ODSTs, who are part of the Seventy Seventh Shock Troops Battalion and Officer Xynre 'Kurumee of the Sangheili SpecOps fireteam aboard his destroyer with a quarter of the ODST platoon which were standing around the hangar with the platoons non commissioned officers stood before the nose of the Condor and the entire Ikazuchi's compliment of troop dropships sitting behind it.

In addition to the Condor there were two Pelican troopships sitting behind it and a single green sheened Phantom directly behind them, all of them practically touching nose to ass.

Captain Nagata stopped and took up a position next to Peterson on his left and motioned him with a nod to begin the mission briefing. The Lieutenant nodded back in kind as did 'Kurumee, and began the mission briefing to the three assembled leaders of Charlie squad.

"Gentlemen, Welcome to Operation: DAWNBREAKER. And as such, I've got good news and I've got bad news."

"Good news, as you realise just now, is that us, the ships in this system and the entire ACS as a whole will be no longer observing this galaxy from behind the curtain. The stage is finally set after so long of waiting, and we're going in changing and making history once more."

The Lt. was earned a multitude of different expressions and slight cheers from each fireteam leader, each one of them now quite glad that they were finally going to get some real combat and not some training simulation they always got while watching this galaxy's little insurrection go down.

"The bad news is, this will be kicked off by a snatch 'n grab as we'll be boarding a medical frigate deep within Galactic Republic space. First by first clamping it to the underside of the **_Ikazuchi_**, then performing a short slipspace to jump away from prying eyes of the protective blockade and then boarding from the outside via EVA. That said, the Frigate is due to arrive in system in… twenty minutes."

One or two eyebrows were raised from this odd opening move but apart from that nobody else so much stirred.

"So-so good news round two, you'll be going in non-lethal. So that's tactical training rounds loaded in your SMGs and narq-dart pistols."

The Lieutenant tapped the holotable and brought up a wireframe Republic Consular-class cruiser charger c70 retrofit. Marked over the hologram were the individual EVA entry points for the three fireteams of Charlie.

"If you have any problems you have with what you've been told so far, voice them now before I continue."

"Just one Lt," a corporal said over to Peterson's right.

The Lieutenant gazed over and motioned the corporal, lead of Charlie One, to proceed.

"Is there a reason why we're using TTRs with narqs, sir?" he suggested with slight concern in his tone. "I mean, a single narq-dart can drop a charging rhino in its tracks. Using TTRs on them seems like overkill, since the rounds also contain a tranq anyways."

"First and foremost, as I should've said this before that, but anyway..." Peterson shrugged absentmindedly and began counting off the reasons he had with his hands.

"The top brass and the council want these clones taken alive but unconscious. Why? I don't know beyond what I was told but what I do know, and you'll know now, is that underneath that flimsy white plastic shit they call armour, clones wear fatigues that are made with a certain fibre weave similar to what is in our training armour. So in short, they get hit with a nice spray of TT rounds or a well-tossed TT grenade. Goodbye retaliation, hello pissed off conscious clone statues."

"So we hit them with TTRs then give a narq to the neck to knock them fully out." the leader of Charlie One said. Nagata answered with a simple nod and the corporal nodded happily in agreement along with the rest of the assembled squad leaders. "Okay, sounds like fun. Then what?"

"That brings me to what I mean by snatch 'n grab." he replied and politly told Marius to bring up the inside schematic layout of the republic vessel on the holotable. Overlaid over the diagram were various different coloured sections such as a green coloured section for the prow and a mix of blue and cyan overlaid for the lower and topside decks, the diagram also had minor objective markers scattered over it as well.

From what could be said about the plan, Charlie Three had the front half of the ship that housed the bridge up top towards the nose and control centre down below which left Charlie One and Two to handle the crew quarters, medical bay, cargo compartment and the escape pods.

"Once you gain entry, your teams will have a ten minute window and only a ten minute window," he didn't have the need to stress that point, as it was very clear and the team leaders knew what the consequences of not meeting the requirement in that meant.

"To bring every single clone, whether that be trooper or crew on that frigate from your assigned sectors to an awaiting Condor or pelican at the frigate's airlock doors and the hull sections you had to cut through to gain entry for the multi pronged boarding."

The hologram of the Consular retrofit shifted to show the dropships attached to the outer hull of the ship at the marked entry points.

"When every clone is aboard the dropships, each one code named 'Angel One' through 'Three' for the two Pelicans and Phantom, and 'Fallen One' for the Condor. They, with you hopefully on board as well, will then take the tranquilised clones back to the _**Ikazuchi**_. This is where the additional medical staff you have may or may not have seen running around on the destroyer will handle the rest when you return."

"Do any of you have any issues with this?" Peterson said meeting each gaze of the fireteam leaders. When he was answered with unwavering silence from the assembled NCOs, he nodded in satisfaction.

"No? All right, ready your teams. Let's get this done, just like we've trained for."

"Oorah, sir." Charlie One, Three replied with eagerness to get to work as they broke away to brief their men who were standing in separate groups around the extended and rather deserted hangar bay, the leader of Charlie Two, the sangheili officer known as 'Kurumee, stayed to hear what his SpecOps team side-mission was aboard the Republic frigate.

"There is a certain clone trooper that is of critical importance aboard that medical frigate as he could hold the key of what we and the ACS have been searching for since this pitiful war in this galaxy flared up not so long ago. He is rated priority zero."

Peterson turned to face the sangheili, "He must be brought back and still be alive, no exceptions." the Lieutenant tapped the holotable interface, bringing up a full hologram representation of the clone in question.

"The clone target is easily identified by this tattoo like mark beneath his right eye." he said, pointing out to a small tattoo marked like a teardrop beneath the eye.

The Sangheili leaned in and examined the hologram of the clone trooper closely as well as the service record of said clone, including his reasons for being on the medical transport and who had volunteered to go with him as protection. After carefully going over just where he could find the trooper according to recent intelligence that updated regularly he leaned back from the hologram representation of the trooper, satisfied.

"Recover the clone and bring him back post haste to a phantom that will be docked and waiting here for your arrival, once aboard head back immediately and deliver him to medical bay four. Understood?"

"What of the clone's companion? The one that Intel says he is to stay beside him at all costs?" 'Kurumee asked bluntly.

"Take him with you. Deliver the clone to the same place." Peterson said and the special operations sangheili officer nodded in acknowledgement with an accepted grunt and turned to leave.

Before he could go however a firm hand grabbed his arm from behind, stopping him. 'Kurumee turned around and was surprised to see that it was the captain, who had been quiet through the whole mission briefing, holding firm onto his arm.

"Take this," Nagata said sharply releasing his grip on the Sangheili's arm while holding out a data crystal chip towards the elite, the circular centre of the chip pulsating a haunting reddish purple. "Put it into one of the terminals aboard the ship, it doesn't matter which one."

"Who is it?" the elite officer questioned with a trace uncertainly as he duly accepted the chip from the captain's grasp.

"Barghest."

'Kurumee's eyes narrowed ever so slightly and pressed his jaws together in intrigue as he knew who that was. He had been assigned to work with that AI many times after completing the gruelling trials faced in SABREFANG.

The AI's ways of dealing with complicated matters was curious to witness first hand, its chosen form that its name reflected even more so and when they had been paired together, the two had made many covert assignments look like they their difficulty meter set on Easy mode instead of Legendary.

'Kurumee felt an odd sensation arise in his gut that told him that when the grand army of the republic ever did uncover that wolf, whether that be the AI's choosing or not, 'Kurumee knew it will be the former anyway, he was bound to meet up with Barghest again at some random point. The elite SpecOps officer would be looking forward to recovering that mischievous AI when it was finished with its assigned tasks if it ever came to pass.

"Yes, it is he and I know his past work with you including that little intrusion stint on Coruscant." Nagata said with hint of pleasure as he noticed the elite's hardly restrained realisation to the AI's name.

"I'd call it a little parting gift from us and the ACS to the Republic Jedi's who undoubtedly be sent to unravel the attack about just what had happened on the Frigate. I'm sure they will be somewhat thrilled to the core when they find him, or more likely when he has his fun and decides to reveal himself to them I dare say."

The sangheili eyed the flickering light in the centre of the chip again for a moment before pressing his jaws into a sinister smile. He nodded to the captain in thanks for giving him such a pleasant instrument before turning back around and left without saying another word.

'Kurumee put the chip securely away into his combat harness as he made his way over for his small team of elites clad in Ranger armour. The two of who were finishing up by going over with the final safety checks on their antigravity packs and the human made M7S SMGs including the sixty round magazines loaded in them with deep red tipped TTRs.

* * *

A collision alarm sounded when Nagata came back and entered the bridge and the lights of the dulled to a haunting red.

"The package has arrived." Marius said switching the forward view screen from the inbound patrol of several GAR ARC-170 fighters sent to investigate the three unidentified ships approaching head on rapidly in wedge formation towards the blockade, the ACS Ikazuchi, Ryuu and the Glyphis, that weren't responding to their hails when they powered into Republic sensor range a good ten minutes ago, to focus in on the arrived medical frigate and its escort fighters peeling away to join the blockade.

"Good luck to you and your troops captain." The commander of the Isra commented over the ACS ship COM frequency for the last time and was replaced by the unnerving awe of blossoming bright blue flashes from fifteen stealth mines going off.

A few hours prior to the _**Ikazuchi**_'s arrival in the system, these mines had been seeded by the heavy prowler under cloak throughout the midst of Republic blockade in preparation for the upcoming operation.

The EMP mines performed their job perfectly just as they were designed to do, cascading their electronic hampering burden over every republic ship and star fighter including the recently arrived frigate they were seeking to board. The EMP's effects blinded and overloaded every sensor, living or machine, from recording or witnessing what was about to happen next as the _**Ikazuchi**_ and her accompanying Strident's powered in for the now drifting and disabled frigate which had caught the edge of one of the EMP fields.

The medical frigate would suffer minor shutdowns and some of their systems would still be functional unlike the ships that made up the protective blockade that have become nothing but fancy life-support systems as they hanged motionless in space. Their navigation and weapon systems would take much longer to come back online while every sensor and communications gear on those ships caught closer to the EMP mines would be later found to be overhauled with brand new ones.

The patrol of seven ARC-170 starfighters that were sent to investigate the inbound diversionary Strident frigates from before had been out of range of the mines but not the stealthed prowler as the ship slipped in behind them and gave each one an AI assisted blast from its electromagnetic pulse cannon, immobilizing them.

The _**Ikazuchi**_ manoeuvred with perfection into position above the frigate and with a subtle _clank_ that echoed briefly through the hallways of the destroyer, the two were now seemingly attached to one another. From a certain odd point of view, it looked as if a remora had gone and attached itself to the underside of a bull shark.

"Extend shields over package." Nagata ordered swiftly as soon as the confirmation came in that his destroyer had successfully latched onto the GAR frigate and the magnetic locks had been secured.

"Extending shields over the package. Aye, sir."

When viewed from the outside of the destroyer's hull, a shimmering wave of gold could be seen cascading over the attached frigates body while the space in front of the destroyer tore open with a swirling slipspace portal. Elsewhere, two other similar portals appeared before the flanking Strident heavies as well. The ships accelerated headlong into their anomalies only to reappear mere seconds later holding together in formation in a random spot that was still part of Kamino space but somewhere between the orbits of the fifth and sixth planets.

The aft hangar bay doors of the destroyer opened and out flew a swarm of small dots belonging to EVA equipped helljumpers, a fireteam of SpecOps Ranger elites and a mix of a Condor, a phantom and two pelicans. All angled and heading for the disabled frigate that was in the process of being detached from being secured securely to the underside of the destroyer.

* * *

For a brief moment in time, Captain Rex was perplexed and a little unnerved from the reports of three mysterious ships of unknown make and design had been powering towards Kamino's blockade head on with no signs of slowing. So when the ship under his feet gave a heavy shudder and suddenly all lost power with the emergency lighting flickering on, the clone captain was galvanised into action just when telltale muffled sounds of something big began moving in outside the hull.

Rex hurried for the bridge but had to stabilise himself from falling over when the medical frigate he was on suffered as if it had been rammed by an asteroid bigger than the ship. There was an abrupt surge of forward movement that ended just as quickly as it had begun.

"What the hell was that?" a medical officer said as he was picking himself up from the deck from being knocked down by the shaking.

"I have no idea." Rex said as he keyed his wrist communicator. "This is Captain Rex to the bridge, what is going on out there?"

There was no response. He tried again, but again there was no reply, just constant static filling the channel. He checked the other frequencies and found they were also a no go. Worried, he turned to jog for the cockpit when he began hearing the unmistakeable sounds of something using cutting torches to cut their way through the hull from the outside.

Rex recognised what was happening. The ship had been disabled and was in the process of being boarded, and he knew only one group of belligerent independent systems had the brazen nerve once again to do so as he secured his armour for vacuum.

The Separatists.

"Sir, what's the situation? What's going on?" Fives said as he joined the captain when he came out through medical bay door.

"We're being boarded. Ship wide and personal COMs are a no go." he rattled off just as the artificial gravity failed and the emergency lights cut out plunging the hallway into complete darkness. He and fives quickly magnetised their boots to the deck.

"The seppi's followed us back? How could they? The droids had barely enough ships left to launch a counter offensive let alone push in this far." Fives responded.

Fives knew as well as any other of his brothers that if this was indeed the separatists, the seven combat ready clone troopers on board, that included himself and Captain Rex, they weren't going to last very long if the enemy stormed the ship with B2 super battle droids.

More loud _clanks_ sounded out on the hull. Something about these noises didn't seem right.

"While I do share your concern that it could be clankers, none of this is adding up. By the sounds of it, it seems like they got someone else to do the work for them." Rex said.

"And take on the entire protective fleet of our homeworld?"

"Well, whoever they are, they must have been given a offer by the CIS they couldn't refuse."

The both of them arrived at the small armoury already occupied by the limited escort detail of clone troopers grabbing weapons and sealed helmets with integrated flashlights for protection against any decompression in any sections in the ship.

Rex picked out a DC-15S blaster from the weapons rack and tossed it to Fives. "Here, take this and get back to Tup's side on the double. We cannot afford his recapture by the separatists again. Defend him with your life, and that's an order."

"Sir," Fives nodded before moving off with three other clone troopers towards the prime medical bay.

For his part, Captain Rex selected a pair of blaster pistols and turned to the last remaining clones in the armoury who snapped to attention. "You two, with me. We're headed for the bridge."

"Sir!"

As Rex and the two other troopers with him had made their way about two-thirds down the corridor that lead straight for the bridge, the frigate gave a tremendous shudder destabilising all but Rex to the deck. The clone Captain turned as he heard a decompression go off in a storeroom to his left that opened up into the corridor and saw just in time to see the storeroom door cycle open with a hiss.

Time slowed for Rex as coming out from the dark confines of the room and into his blaster flashlights was not a droid, as if that wasn't expected, but a faceless humanoid, because of its tinted silver grey-visored helmet with a green stripe blocking its facial features, clad in jet-black armour that was more thicker than his own.

Held across the beings chest was a matte black weapon that looked very reminiscent of the DC-17 model like the two Rex had in his hands but slimmer and elongated.

The black clad being raised the weapon in one swift move and fired down at the clones on the deck with drilled precision only a experienced solider could do, its weapon producing an almost silent _slit-slit-slit_ sound and pockmarking the clones white armour plates crimson red blood.

Time sped back up as Rex correctly identified the classification of the strange alien weapon based on the sound produced and the results they gave as it .

Projectiles.

Slugthrower.

For a fleet second as Rex was raining his blaster pistols to shoot back at the intruder for killing his men under his command for the trip to Kamino when he heard both of the supposed _dead_ clones speak out loud while the other began grunting in frustration.

"What the hell? What is this?"

"Why can't I move?"

Rex turned his head in surprise to look at his previously thought to be dead men.

It was an action that became his undoing.

It made him think about his brothers of arms rather than the bipedal person that shot his men not a few seconds ago, as for when Rex snappily turned back to shoot the black clad humanoid his side burned and he immediately went rigid as the all armoured black clad person shot him point blank like it did to his brothers.

Rex felt like he had been shot by multiple blasters set to stun, but he knew this was a whole new experience [...] as he could tell he was still conscious but was completely incapable to move any of anything as they remained frozen in place.

While in this helpless state all Rex could do was witness three more identical black clad soldiers identical in every way save for the various shades of green on their shoulder pauldrons, chest plates and stipe on their helmets with a dark green colour for the one that attacked him to a lighter shade for the others that filed out behind it into its integrated helmet flashlights.

All of them carried the same identical weapons and began to move in a well-coordinated sweeping tactic that he straightaway recognised from his drill training on Kamino that was specifically performed to clear a ship of enemy combatants.

Of the four, two of the humanoid boarders headed down the corridor, moving with quickened speed but with warily caution towards the bridge while one stayed behind with the one that shot Rex, the very one that now held a small pistol in its hand and was taking careful aim at his chest.

The black armour clad alien halted this action when it was distracted by the sounds of blaster fire followed by a thud in quick succession coming from down the hall.

In the light produced by the combatants flashlights attached to the undersides of their weapons, Rex saw two clones sprint out of the dark, the firing behind them, their blaster rifles illuminating the hallway with blue before they both fell stiffly to the deck, more red marks appearing on the back of their clone armour.

As the two clones lay stiffly face first on the deck, their arms and legs in awkward positions Rex caught a glance at the other two black clad beings that cautiously moved down the corridor together with one covering the other before his view was blocked by the silver faceplate of the one that shot him.

The two new other's armour wore was the same but the coloured chests and shoulders weren't. The armoured plates were marked differently, showing up as a blue colour rather than green.

_Another squad?_ Rex thought as he could only look now at the tinted silver faceplate of his attacker and only saw the distorted reflection of his own helmet in it.

The humanoid tentatively reached out with its hands and pushed the clone captain's head slightly to the side where it shot a small dart like capsule into the side of his vacuumed sealed protected neck and the other quickly moved in and applied a gauze patch to seal the puncture and retain the integrity of the armour.

Rex's vision clouded quickly and blacked out as whatever was in the dart went and knocked him out cold.

* * *

"And that adds three more to the extraction pile." The leader of Charlie Three said calmly over his Team-COM as he fired a narq-dart into the last clone while he had his subordinate applied the special gauze swiftly over the puncture wound to ensure the vacuum sealed armour the clones wore was secure from any decompression.

"Private Marty. Get these loaded into the pelican, I'm going to give three-three and three-four some help on bringing the bridge crew here." He turned his head to address three-two.

"You got it, Sarge."

"That's the spirit trooper."

The ODST sergeant glanced at his mission timer top right of his HUD. Four minutes into the ten-minute window. He keyed his COM and called into command. "Charlie Three-one to Command."

The steeled and collected voice of Lieutenant Peterson sounded in his ear a second later.

"– _This is Command, send it_ –"

"We have three targets in dreamland. Three-Two is beginning to load them up on Angel Three. I am about to proceed to the cockpit now to assist Three-Three and Three-Four on moving the captured technical crew and pilots back to the transport. What's the current status of other Charlie unit scores? Over."

"– _Charlie-One has scored and loaded all objectives from their assigned zone. They are now moving to assist Charlie-Two with moving the heavy ones into Fallen One. Over_ –"

"Much obliged Command, thanks. Charlie Three-One out."

The sergeant frowned as he paused and gazed down at one of the clones, specifically the last one he had incapacitated. Looking back to the two clones being loaded into the back pelican, he saw something was indeed different between them. Intrigued, he pulled out a small grey box like device from one of his armour compartments and held it over the clone's left wrist.

With a faint beep, the device activated the clone's identification chip and wirelessly transmitted the data of who it was to the sergeant's helmet display. He frowned and quickly radioed back to command and asked if the Ikazuchi's AI, Marius, could run a quick intelligence file search on the clone he just scanned.

It wasn't five seconds later when the AI scored a hit on an intelligence file and relayed new orders from the commanding Lieutenant running the show [...] as he saw his two other troopers under his command come back from the cockpit shepherding their quarry ahead of them in the low gravity with all the clones bodies were marked over with the red splotches of TTRs where they hit.

"– _Bring this clone to Charlie-Two's Phantom_ –" was what the sargent had heard Peterson say when he came back after he learned the clone's identity.

"The Sangheili's ride?" the leader of Charlie-Three questioned as PFC Marty reached down to release the clone the Sarge had scanned from the deck.

"– _Orders are orders, trooper. Get it done quickly, the dropship isn't going to wait forever_ –" the lieutenant replied icily and with forced authority and terminated the connection.

"Sir, yes, sir," he muttered to himself and clapped a hand down on the private's shoulder before he passed him with the clone captain. "Take this one over to Angel Two then hitch a ride on Fallen One."

Without a pause, the private nodded and took the unconscious clone down the dark corridor towards where Angel Two, the phantom, was connected to the outer hull middle on the left side while on the right was Fallen one. The sergeant walked back through the door towards the bright-lit confines of the attached pelican and the captured clones inside with the rest of his team.

Before he boarded the dropship though, he turned around and then sealed the closed door, the one that he and his boarding team had opened to gain access to the hall, permanently shut with small welding torch.

* * *

A/N: An information dump in story writing is only and I mean **only** needed if it is critically needed. I just wish to stress the point that most, if not all, of what you had read in this chapter will be later explained in upcoming chapters. That is how I've planned on making this story roll.

**That is all for now.**


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